For its annual performance on July 1, Bhoomija’s Youth Carnatic Orchestra will be pushing the boundaries of Carnatic music by incorporating aspects of western symphonies into their musical exercise. Violin maestro Mysore Manjunath has put together a repertoire for a Carnatic harmony, sprinkled with duets, trios, quartets, quintets and sextets, just like a Western orchestra.
“Be it a raaga, a composed piece or a swara kalpana, a mundane group presentation is not the aim. The presentation is calculated to be disbursed in several aesthetic ways as to throw up individually, in tandem and all together in a group akin to western orchestras,” said Mr. Manjunath As many as 12 violinists, one pianist and 4 percussionists, aged 18 to 24, are coming together for this mega show.
The performance will start with a varna by Mr. Manjunath. “Expanding one’s musical contours helps us think differently in every presentation. In the Youth Carnatic Orchestra, I wanted even the first piece of the varna to be heard differently. For a composed piece as this, each set of violinists will take up different segments, even as we return on the rails for the culmination,” said Dr. Manjunath, who worked on the orchestra for more than a month. Dr. Manjunath is happy that Bhoomija’s founder Gayathri Krishna insisted on something unusual for the show.
“This helped me choose performing violin artistes between 18 and 24 years, and not amateurs, along with a pianist and four percussionists. I am happy that our rehearsals yielded a meaningful musical camaraderie with the team, including two violinists, who have come down from the U.S. and Canada,” he added.
Of the six pieces selected for the 90-minute orchestra that will have a varna, devaranama and kirtane and the famous Reetigowla Kriti ‘Janani Ninnuvina’ — Manjunath’s composition in Kiravani raga is the highlight.
“This will fit in as a pure symphony piece with every member given different scripts to bow in stages with solo, group and melody happening in tandem too,” said Dr. Manjunath.
Symphonies should not be restricted to western classical violin, said Dr. Manjunath, who is happy that such newer expressions, with a lead in Carnatic, are necessary to realise the depth of the rich Carnatic genre opening up to every demand.
As for the inclusion of the piano in a violin-ruled orchestra, Mr. Manjunath says it was done for getting the ‘straight notes’ so integral to an orchestra.
“The Kiravani piece, especially, will have segments where the keys of the piano individually will add moments of the orchestral glory,” he added.
Boomija’s Youth Carnatic Orchestra , July 1, 7 p.m., MLR Convention Centre, J.P. Nagar.
